


Your Job, Your Fault

by rosekings



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Ending to S02E09, Gen, I cried writing this, One-Shot, major angst and sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 08:55:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12980565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosekings/pseuds/rosekings
Summary: “I tried so hard,” Hopper whispers, his voice hoarse and cracking. “I tried so hard.”





	Your Job, Your Fault

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this sprouted when I came across an ask conversation ruminating on how angry Mike would be at Hopper if Eleven had actually died while/after closing the gate. I _hated_ writing this because it's so sad, but I love how it turned out all the same. Originally posted on my [Tumblr.](https://dustinhendrsn.tumblr.com/)

“They’re back!” Lucas yells. Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce, and Will had already returned - Will is passed out in his room while the other three are recovering - but Hopper and Eleven are late.

Mike scrambles across the room to the door, flinging it open as Hopper’s truck creaks to a stop in the driveway. Mike halts on the porch, waiting. So much _waiting_. The time that they were gone felt horrible to him, even as he drenched the Hub in gasoline and got caught up in Shadow Monster roots and outraced adolescent Demogorgons. His entire thought process was _‘is El okay? Will she be okay? What if something’s going wrong? Can she make it? Can she close it willshebeokayisshealivewhat’shappening’_ But now they’re back! They’re here, she’s here, and the gate is closed and everything bad is dead and they’re _safe_. 

Hopper opens his door and steps into the snow. Mike teeters on the balls of his feet, all traces of exhaustion gone for the moment. Any second, Eleven’s going to get out and he can hug her again because their last hug was too short and she’ll be _safe_. But she’s not getting out. Hopper’s walking around to the back of the truck, not El’s side. A spike of fear shoots through Mike’s stomach but he quickly dismisses it. Maybe she just got hurt while closing the gate and needed to lay down. That’s what happened. _That’s what happened_. Hopper disappears from view as he opens the tailgate. Mike’s aware of everyone standing behind him, anxiously awaiting the verdict. _It’ll be fine_ , he thinks. _She’s fine, she’s just a little hurt, she needed a lot of power to shut the gate, she’ll be fine, she’ll be safe._

But then Hopper comes around the truck and Mike’s entire universe lurches to a full stop. His breath catches in his throat and his heart tips into his stomach. Cradled in Hopper’s arms is Eleven, blood coming out of her nose and ears, limp and lifeless. Behind him, at least three people inhale sharply as Hopper walks towards them. _She’s just passed out. She used all of her energy to close the gate._

Hopper lifts his head to look at Mike, and the hollowness in his eyes and on his face rocks Mike to his core. He stumbles down the steps, staring at El’s closed eyes, her still chest, her motionless fingers. There’s no puff of steam in the air to indicate she’s breathing. 

“I tried so hard,” Hopper whispers, his voice hoarse and cracking. “I tried _so hard_.”

Unaware of what he’s doing, Mike stretches his arms out. Hopper has tears leaking from his bloodshot eyes as he slowly gives Eleven to Mike. Mike can’t handle it and goes to his knees, laying her in the snow with her head in the crook of his arm.

He shakes her, tries to find some semblance of life, but her skin is ice cold. “You - El - you promised - you _promised me_ \- Eleven -” Every part of him is going numb from shock and he can barely feel his heart pounding against his ribcage. He brushes his thumb over her eyelids, smearing the makeup that someone applied very carefully. “You can’t - I just got you back! _Eleven! You promised me!_ ” 

But she’s not waking up. Mike goes still. Nobody around him is moving. Behind him, he can hear several sniffles. Hopper is still standing in front of him, hands tearing at his hair. Mike gently sets Eleven in the snow and gets to his feet, nauseous as hell. He meets Hopper’s eyes and his grief and shock gives way to a boiling, raging anger. He steps around El, fixing the Chief with every ounce of hate he has.

“It was _your_ job to keep her safe,” he hisses. Hopper looks defeated, empty, and he damn well should, Mike thinks.

“I know.”

“Your - goddamn - _job!_ ” He lashes out, screaming every expletive he can think of and punching every inch of Jim Hopper that he can reach. Hopper doesn’t fight back, doesn’t defend himself, just takes it. Mike launches hit after hit at his chest, because Mike’s chest is pounding and burning and collapsing and Hopper should know how it feels, too. 

“Kid -”

“ _It’s your fault!_ ” he screams, tearing at Hopper’s shirt even as Hopper tries to hold him back, gather him up. His mind is so frenzied and all of his emotions are focused on the one thing in front of him: the source of his pain. He’s still yelling and fighting and he scrapes a fingernail across Hopper’s cheek before Hopper finally pushes him away.

He staggers backwards, breathing hard. Hopper has his hands slightly raised in front of him, his stance defensive but his eyes watering. There’s a lump of burning sadness and tears in Mike’s throat. He can’t think straight, can’t turn around because he’ll see Eleven, the girl who lost everything and gave everything else, the girl who he would do anything for, frozen on the ground. To look at her again would be to confirm it, to wipe away any possibility of denial, and he’s not ready for that. 

“Mike…” 

Mike can’t turn around, he _can’t_ , but he knows it’s Nancy who has spoken. He ignores her, eyes boring into Hopper’s.

“I hate you. I _hate you_.” 

Hopper swipes a tear away from his eye. “Yeah, well, kid, you don’t hate me more than I hate me.” He takes a deep breath. “Can we just - can we just focus on -”

“No! We can’t!” Mike screams. “This isn’t - I can’t -” He’s losing momentum. His anger and hatred is slowing down and melting into other, darker feelings. A gap has torn open in his chest, a gap that was momentarily filled by his attack on Hopper but now just seems wider than it was to begin with.

“Mike…taking it out on Hopper won’t help,” Nancy says, choked up. Mike’s eyes are filling now, the lump in his throat ready to spill. _She’s not…she’s fine…she’s safe…she promised…_

“I don’t care.” His voice is cracking. “It’s his fault. His fault that she’s....”

“Mike, I did everything I could,” Hopper says. “You don’t think I feel like shit? You don’t think that if I could have taken her place, I would have?”

“I don’t care! I don’t - I don’t care.” But Mike is exhausted. He needs to turn around. Maybe she’ll be standing behind him, miraculously resurrected. She’ll give him a hug and tell him she needs a nap. _That’s what will happen._

He pulls his eyes away from Hopper and slowly turns. It’s the sight of Eleven, still in the snow, that sends him crashing to his knees a second time. He brushes her gel-slicked hair away from her face, bringing her forehead to his.

“El…you told me I wouldn’t lose you again.” Tears fall from his eyes to her cheeks, stinging in the cold. “You _promised_. El, please, please come back, I can’t handle this, I won’t be able to, _please come back_ , you _promised me_ , and friends don’t lie, El -” He vaguely feels Hopper’s heavy hand on his shoulder, and he doesn’t bother shrugging it off. “Eleven... _please..._ ”

“I’m so damn _proud_ of you, kid. You did so, so good.” Mike can hear the emotion in Hopper’s voice. “I’m sorry. I’m - _I’m sorry_.”

Mike looks up at the Byers’ porch, tears clouding his vision. Everyone is still looking on, disbelief and sadness and despair painted across their faces. Even though Mike’s head knows it’s only been a couple of minutes, the burn in his heart tells him it’s been hours. He looks back down at El. “ _Please..._ ” Hopper’s hand grips his shoulder and he knows it’s over. He plants a kiss on Eleven’s forehead, wishing with all of his being that she’d just wake up and be okay. But he knows she won’t be.

“I’m going to miss you. So much more than I ever have.” He squeezes his eyes shut and holds onto her hand as tight as he can. “So much, El.”

The brave girl who lost everything and gave everything else is gone.


End file.
